(970) 353-340116th Street and 10th AvenueTailored Automotive Services

Tips on Selling Your Car

You’ve decided you’re selling your car. Whether you’re ready for an upgrade, need more space, or simply want to get rid of an extra vehicle, you want to make sure you are getting the most out of it with the least amount of hassle. To help you make this as smooth and successful as possible, here are some tips you can follow.

First, know your car.

Before whipping out an ad on Craigslist in 5 minutes, make sure you know the accurate details about your car as well as any additional features it has.

For example, a Honda Civic Sedan LX and a Honda Civic Sedan EX have some different features, so you’ll want to be sure to clarify whether it’s an LX or EX.

What model is it? Is it the base model or a sport version of that model? Is it a 6 cylinder or a 4? What maintenance has been done on it? Has it ever been in a wreck? These are some of the questions people will ask when inquiring about your car and you want to be prepared.

Figure Out the Worth of Your Car.

As much as we would love to sell our cars for the same price we got them, we need to do the research to find out what the car is actually worth. Obviously, if you have had it for a while and have accumulated a few miles, you’ll be seeing a difference in value from when you first purchased it.

You can check your car’s value in the Kelley Blue Book. There you’ll be asked to enter your car’s year, make, model, mileage, and other information about your car in order to get the most accurate price.

Make sure you have all the paperwork

Make sure you have your title and are ready to sign it to pass on to the new owner.

If you have them, provide maintenance records, making sure to black out any personal information.

Have ready 2 copies of a bill of sale, one for you and one for the buyer.

It’s a good idea to have a release of liability to protect you from damages or violations once you’ve sold the car.

Make sure to provide the buyer with any warranty documents if your car is still under warranty.

Figure out whether to sell it privately or to a dealership.

This decision will depend on how quickly you want to get rid of the car or how much you are wanting to get for it. If you sell to a dealership, you’ll likely be getting less than if you sell your car privately.

Tips for selling to a dealership

If you choose to sell to a dealership, make sure you’ve check the Trade-in Value before you approach a dealership about buying your car.

Be ready to answer questions they will have about your car’s history, maintenance, accident records, and your car’s general condition.

Tips for selling your car privately

Find out when is the best time of year to sell your car. There are certain times of year that some vehicles will sell better than others. For example, a sports car is often easier to sell in the summer when people aren’t thinking about having to get around in the snow here in Colorado.

If you are posting your car online, upload quality photos of your vehicle taken from every side, including pictures of the inside (including the trunk!).

Meet in a public place with the buyer. Ask to see their Driver’s license and insurance before they take your car for a test drive.

When communicating with a potential buyer, have a set price in mind for as low as you are willing to go, but start out asking for more, knowing the buyer will likely try to negotiate.

Ask for cash as payment. You could do a check as well, but cash is best especially if you do not know the buyer. Don’t hand over the title until you’ve received payment.

Get your car ready to sell.

Make sure you run the car through the car wash and give it a thorough cleaning. Presenting your car in top condition will make a big difference in the selling process. Wipe down the surfaces in your car, vacuum all the rugs, remove stains, clean your windows inside and out, clean out your personal belongings and make sure there’s nothing under the seats.

If possible, it’s a good idea to top off fluids, do an oil change, fill up gas, and fix minor flaws (for example, removing dents).

Have a mechanic do an inspection on your car to see if there are any major issues that need to be repaired so that you can either repair them before you sell the car or can make the buyer aware of these needs (You can give the buyer the mechanic inspection report).

The Top Five Auto Maintenance Apps

With so many moving parts that require proper maintenance to work in conjunction with each other, your car needs regular tune-ups and checks to run efficiently for thousands of more miles. Without keeping track of all the things that need to be replaced, serviced, oiled, greased, etc., you’ll increase your risk of breakdowns and other hazards that make it much harder to operate your vehicle safely.

In the past, if you owned a car, you typically had to record all the maintenance costs and reminders in a little notebook in your car to keep track of everything that needed work. You had to record your gas mileage to calculate how many miles you’re getting per gallon and more. Today, there are hundreds of smartphone apps that help you record and track all the maintenance information you need, as well as gas costs, how to deal with a collision and more. Here are five of the best auto maintenance apps out there today:

aCar. If you’re looking for a good auto maintenance app, it’s best to start with this one. aCar is an incredibly user-friendly app that houses all your car’s maintenance information in one place. Once you put in your car’s information into the intuitive interface, it can make useful calculations for you. If you put in your car’s mileage and the price of gas when you fill up, the app will tell you the cost of running your car per day, per mile. It can also predict when you’ll need your next fill-up and chart your gas efficiency. You can also record maintenance costs and dates to see how much your car is costing you and when your next tune-up should be. Available on Android.

Gas Cubby. A fast and easy way to record your gas mileages and costs. Gas Cubby can send you reminders to change your oil, where to find better gas prices, and much more. You can compare your gas mileage with similar vehicles using its data from Fuelly, a community of other auto-minded individuals. Although this is not a free app, the $1.99 price tag is budget-sensitive and well worth its utility. Gas Cubby is available on iOS.

iWrecked. This app streamlines the information gathering process you have to go through after a collision. iWrecked allows you to store every pertinent detail about your auto accident in one place for later use. It conveniently stores this information in four succinct categories: “accident information,” “other driver,” “police information,” and “miscellaneous.” With these four categories, you can put in the time and location of the accident, the other driver’s insurance information, and any police information or references you need. iWrecked also allows you to upload pictures of the car damage, locate towing or police services near you using GPS, and call your emergency contact right from the app. iWrecked is a free app and is available for both iOS and Android.

Waze. While Waze is more of a navigation and traffic app than a maintenance app, but it’s extremely useful for getting around and making the most of your car’s fuel efficiency. Waze is a community-based app that gathers user data in real time and makes adjustments to its traffic and navigation services quickly. If you and another Wazer slow down in traffic, the app knows to mark the area as slow or heavy traffic. You can be a passive or an active Waze user, either letting the app gather information while you’re driving with it to help other users, or by going even further to report speed traps, road conditions, gas prices, and more. This community approach leads to faster updates on traffic and road conditions than a standard Google Maps app. Free for both Android and iOS.

Openbay. This app is incredibly useful for scheduling maintenance and tracking the services you need to have completed. Openbay lets you search for automotive service providers near you and compare maintenance quotes. You can schedule maintenance appointments right there on the app and pay for services as well using it’s secure and safe payment system, which lets you earn rewards for your completed services. If you know you need maintenance, but you don’t know where to turn, download Openbay. It’s free for iOS.

These apps are all effective at helping you keep track of your car’s maintenance needs and schedule. Depending on what kind of car you have and how often you use it, some of these apps may be more useful than others for your situation. For example, if you need road conditions for your commute every day, Waze is an excellent option. For a car that needs more regular maintenance to stay on the road than others, an app like aCar is for you.

Is Premium Gasoline Really Worth the Extra Cost?

Is premium gasoline worth the extra money?

When filling up at the gas station, your first instinct may be to fill your car up on regular gas, because it’s cheaper. It may be that you don’t know what the premium gas does for you. The truth is, you do not get extra miles out of a gallon of premium gasoline over a gallon of regular. Most cars manufactured today are made to run on regular, unleaded gasoline. That said; check your vehicle manual before filling it up for the first time. It should have a minimum octane level for fuel. As long as you match that number, you’re okay in most situations.

Keep in mind; most performance vehicles including turbocharged engines require a higher octane fuel. Also, living in high altitude regions like we do here in Greeley, Loveland and Ft Collins puts a twist on the octane requirements. The thinner air here in Colorado usually allows for a lower octane than if the vehicle is driven at sea level – that’s why most fuel stations in Colorado sell 85 octane and most other states regular fuel is 87.

Misconceptions of Premium Gasoline

There are many misconceptions surrounding premium gasoline. You don’t get any extra mileage per gallon by using premium gas. In fact, the difference in fuel quality has more to do with what brand of gasoline you put in your car than octane levels. Also, contrary to popular belief, there are no extra additives in premium gasoline that suddenly make it more efficient or clean your engine. All gasoline, regardless of price at the pump, has enough additives in it to keep your engine clean. Some brands include more additives, so it’s no surprise they charge a bit more. Again, if you spring for the brand-name gasoline, you’ll do better than running your car for 100,000 miles on cheaper gas.

The main takeaway is that you may want to consider paying more for brand-name gas, but stick with regular unleaded in most situations. If you have a particularly cruddy engine or older car, you may want to use premium gas, but it’s probably more efficient if you put in some engine additives to help clean your engine and stick with brand-name gas stations. You may be surprised, but there is a significant difference according to many tests between brand-name unleaded gasoline such as Chevron, Shell, Conoco, etc. and the discounted gas you find at your local quick-stop market. You won’t cause any dangerous buildups quickly in your engine if you fill up with discount fuel now and then, but over time, your engine will become less efficient if that’s all you use. That’s something to think about if you plan on keeping your car for years to come.

Feel free to stop by Autotailor. We are always happy to talk to you about what type of fuel should be filling your tank with.

Finding a Good Mechanic

Our cars offer us the ability to travel and go places. We use it to go on trips with the family, for taking our kids to school, for bringing us to work, and much more. Often, they can go for years without major repair but once they break down on us, they causes a lot of problems that we need to address immediately. In times like this, we need a a top-notch Greeley-based mechanic that can offer customized vehicle repair and diagnostics.

When looking for a good mechanic, you must keep in mind these important factors. These factors include:

• Quality Service and Products – Using quality products and services guarantees your vehicles to be in perfect road conditions. • Affordable Price – Price is always an issue and will be a major difference maker in choosing a good auto repair shop. • Positive Remarks/Reviews – Testimonials from past clients will either boost your popularity or ruin your image projected. • Experienced Professionals – Incorporating skilled and highly trained professional on your team guarantees success. It also provides quality service that you can build on as an owner. • A Good Warranty Coverage – Providing your clients with choices and guarantees on your service will attract more loyal customers to stay in tuned with your company.

So if you are looking for an auto repair specialist in Greeley, consider Autotailor! We offer quality and effective service that you can trust. We also use high quality parts and the latest technologies to repair, diagnose, and maintain your vehicle. Autotailor employs professional and skilled technicians giving you peace of mind and the assurance that your vehicles are taken good care of and always in good hands. Nowadays, mostly everything revolves around technology so having cutting edge tools combined with highly skilled technicians will get the job right. More importantly, Autotailor offers unparalleled quality.

Great Relationships

Good communication is the key to the relationships we have with our customers. If you ever have questions or want more details about anything – feel free to give us a call at (970) 353-3401. Our team is here to assist you.

Brent answers questions before a car is picked up.

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“They set a high bar for themselves as evidenced by their superb customer communication, execution of repair plan and final delivery of work product. Their responsiveness to this customer’s needs is unique in this world of mediocrity that we live in. They strive for excellence which is greatly appreciated.”-John R.